small shopper / mermapillar organics

Meet Alice and her son Felix behind Mermapillar Organics. 

This mama makes these lovely critters by hand in her home in Minneapolis, MN.

"I used to draw animals on the bills of regular customers I had when I was serving at a Minneapolis diner/bar in my mid 20's. Some of the customers would build up quite the collection! I liked to draw animals that were always a bit nervous, because for whatever reason I just think it's funnier and a little quirkier. Over time this turned into a business that included baby clothes, but now just the pillows (and soon art prints!)

The name came from one of my best friends who likes to give me a hard time, in a loving way of course, about my non anatomically correct creatures. I had drawn a "shrimp" at the restaurant that day, and when she saw it later she said it looked more like a Mermapillar - a caterpillar with a mermaid tail. The word stuck in my head, and I decided to use it since it seemed to fit with the quirkiness of the critters.

It's good for me to have a creative outlet while mainly staying home with Felix. I love to see how he reacts to the things I make or put in his room. It's probably the most satisfying part of it, when he smiles and laughs and wants to play with the pillows. Other than juggling when I have time to sew or design, which is a lot less now, he's my biggest inspiration. It's great to see what animals and books he gravitates to (right now dogs) and it's nice having a little sidekick to take to the post office!" 

These plush animals make a great gift for a nursery or new baby. They are playful with bright colors. Her materials are organic cotton, soy based inks, and non allergenic polyfil. 

enter promo code GREYBOY10 for a special 10% off discount

[mermapillar organics shop]

you can also find them on instagram @mermapillar

these art prints will be coming soon to the etsy shop

you know the french bulldog is obviously our favorite. lincoln thinks he looks just like prince. 

can't wait to meet our mermapillar pup, he will look super cute in lincoln's room.

what i love most about these plush, is that they have a back side too!

please shop small.

when giving or buying for yourself, its always smart to shop small and support creatives. this section of the blog "small shopper" was created to promote shops & companies run independently by: artists, makers, designers, builders, mothers, fathers & families because they are extremely important. 

clean living / natural air freshener

so we went out of town for a few days and kept the air off. its been pretty cool out so there was no need for the ac. when we got back, it was so stuffy inside, and hot, and rainy outside. we had no candles or incense. 

luckily we had 3 oranges (1 or 2 is probably enough), and this random bag of dries rose petals from the farmers market (cinnamon sticks works good too). 

we didn't want to waste the oranges, so we juiced them. 

lincoln helped me but then drank 2/3 of it, which is not fair. 

materials:

- orange peels

- floral dried petals or cinnamon sticks

- water

-pot

it doesn't even need a detailed step by step. put chunks of orange peels in a pot, throw some spice in there, add water (not overflowing, but enough to not burn the pot.) boil. smell, deep breaths.. ahhhh. 

greyboy's tiny winter 2015 collection

greyboy is excited to announce new handmade items in the shop. its our "tiny winter" collection. (probably "fashionably late" for a winter collection- but thats how things tend to happen around here) i plan on adding more and more as i have the time to design, produce, photograph, and post. juggling work, motherhood, and the desire to create can be challenging. but i always enjoy that moment when it all comes together. 

someone's half birthday is today and we are super excited to celebrate 18 months!

[shop] today and save 10% off all items with promo code: HALFBDAY (ends at midnight)

[tiny winter 2015 collection]            

a special thanks to my lovely model, who only charges me in food and clothing samples.

also- i love looking back at the [summer in the city 2014 lookbook]

my sweet boy has grown so much since then.

clean living / kombucha round 2

ok yes. i admit it. i got lazy. i gave my scoby up for adoption and have been buying kombucha at the store for way too much $$$.. i was brewing too much too fast and couldn't keep up. i finally decided to brew kombucha again and this time take it more seriously. i've been collecting glass juice bottles and other sized bottles so i have more room for all the kombucha i'm about to create. ready for my detox to start happening. its been a while since i posted about "clean living" -- looks like I'm slacking in that department.. give me all the good bacteria!

to start brewing and to create your mother scoby you need:

- a large glass vessel (has to be glass.. scoby's don't like metal or plastic)

- cloth and rubber band for the lid (you want your scabby to be able to breathe but keep all the dust and dirt out)

- a bottle of [original kombucha] (you will see the baby scoby brown mush at the bottom.

 you need that stuff)

-8 bags of green tea (or white or black but plain not flavored)

-1 cup of sugar

-some hot water for the tea and some filtered water for the rest

basically you need to brew green tea in hot water, add sugar, stir until all the sugar is dissolved. add some filtered water leaving some room for the bottle of kombucha. only add the kombucha when the water is room temp. you do not want to burn your scoby pieces. leave about and inch or two breathing room at the top. add your cloth on top. store your glass jar with your scoby baby particles in a dark place. the warmer the spot is the faster the scoby will grow.. but not too warm or he may not be able to make it. the colder the spot is the slower the scoby will grow. i would recommend 65-80 degrees. your scoby should form in about 10-14 days. keep an eye on him. he will look like a white jellyfish at the top of the jar. once he has formed your kombucha is ready for drinking! 

if your are confused about all this scoby, growing, brewing, kombucha blabber and why you should grow/ brew this craziness.. jump back to my [first kombucha post] and get all the benefits and details on how to keep the brewing going.

clean living / k o m b u c h a !

brew your own kombucha!

if you love it, heres a easy way to save money (each bottle is about $3.50- $4.50)

if you don't know about it.. here are a few reasons why you should love it:

what is kombucha? kombucha is a naturally carbonated and fermented tea.

It's made by fermenting  the tea (green, black, white), using a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast aka SCOBY. your SCOBY is alive. like a little floating pet. its such an amazing creature that it basically takes plain green tea (or black or white) and sugar and uses that energy to not only grow in size (creating layers each batch) but also it makes you an extremely beneficial beverage. 

benefits:

- beats coffee, with natural energy boost

- amazing for a detox

- boosts your immune system with alive bacteria

-full of vitamins and enzymes 

- helps with jumpstarting metabolism

[i want to make a BIG important side note: i would NOT give kombucha to children / babies. not only is there a little bit of alcohol, there is also bacteria that their bodies are too young to handle. if you are breastfeeding please ask your doctor. i am currently breastfeeding and i limit myself to 1-2 a week.]

my SCOBY before (day 1) & 

after (probably about 5 batches. your guy will grow a new layer each batch) :

want to brew? ok lets get started!